Machine for operating on soles



Nov. 11, 1941. w. w. PRUE 2,262,047

MACHINE FOR OPERATING ON SOLES Filed May 2, 1940 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 #6 Fig.1

Fig.5

//V VE/V 70/: 93 mm anv 6W.

Nov. 11,1941. w, w, PRU'E 2,262,047

MACHINE FOR OPERATING 0N SOLES Filed May 2, 1940 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WVE/VTUQ WWW- WW Patented Nov. 11, 1941 I MACHINE FOR OPERATING N SOLES Walter W. Prue, Auburn, Maine, assignor to United Shoe Machinery fof Flemington, Jersey Corporation, Borough N. J., a corporation of New Application May 2, 1940, Serial No. 332,983

14 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for operating on soles and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine for imparting a transverse curvature to the margin of a sole and simultaneously applying a band of coating material to that portion of the sole which has been curved.

As is pointed out in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 2,209,405, granted July 30, 1940, upon the application of William P. Le Rette, it is frequently desirable to bend the margin of an outsole upwardly, that is, toward the flesh side of the'sole so that when the outsole is cementattached to a shoe its edges will not tend to pull away from the shoe bottom and thus spoil the appearance of the shoe. Such an operation must, of course, be performed before the sole attaching cement is applied, or is activated if it is of such a nature as to require activation, since the upper feed member must engage the attaching face of the sole near the edge where the cement is applied in order to feed the sole properly. It has been found convenient, therefore, to perform the edge rolling in the machine for applying the cement or the activating agent for the cement to the sole margin, and this may advantageously be done by the mechanism which feeds the sole past the applying means.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved machine of the type referred to through which a sole may be automatically fed by a mechanism which, while feeding the sole, imparts a transverse curvature to its margin.

With this object in view, the machine, as illustrated, comprises an upper feed wheel, a cylindrical lower feed roll having a flared inner end cooperating with the upper feed wheel to form a transversely curved margin upon the sole, and an abutment so positioned in the path of movement of the sole edge that the latter is forced against it by the feed members thereby to impart an additional transverse curvature to the edge of the sole. To provide a feed to press the sole edge against the abutment with sufficient force to roll the sole edge, the upper feed wheel is provided with a series of teeth spaced about its periphery, each tooth being separated from the adjacent teeth by a land which serves as a support for the material against which the next succeeding tooth is pressing to feed the work. Provision is also made for a plow positioned between the feed roll and the abutment to hold the sole in its curved condition and to impart a slightly greater curvature to the sole edge than is formed by the flared lower feed roll.

The invention further contemplates an. improved machine having an extruding nozzle which is particularly suited for applying a viscous coating material to the margin of the sole as the rolling up by the above described mechanism is being completed. This nozzle, as illustrated, comprises a supporting block, a plurality of fingers provided with passageways and having rounded inner ends, and cylindrical recesses in the block in which the balls rest, making substantially a line contact with the recesses which have a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of the balls. The nozzle fingers are. preferably of graduated lengths and are substantially parallel to one another with the end of each finger being bent at an angle to the main portion of the finger. A further feature of the invention resides in the provision of an improved storage pot in which the nozzle may be kept during the intervals when it is not in use.

The invention will be better understood when considered with relation .to the accompanying drawings, in which 1 Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of aportion of amachine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 shows, on a larger scale, a section of a sole gripped between the feed rolls;

Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation of the machine of Fig. 1 with the nozzle removed;

Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the relation of the feed wheel, the nozzle, and the edge gages;

Fig. 5 is an angular view of the extruding nozzle, on a larger scale;

Fig. 6 is a view in side elevation of one of the nozzle fingers, portions being broken away to show its construction;

Fig. '7 is a view of the under side of the nozzle; and

Fig. 8 is a view of the storage pot for the nozzle.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 2,042,479, granted June 2, 1936, upon the application of Carl A. Newhall. As disclosed in that patent, the machine comprises a frame l8 carrying two casings II and [3 which form bearings for an upper shaft l2 and a lower shaft I 4, respectively, these two shafts being arranged to be driven by gears l6 and 18 connected to a source of power (not shown). The lower shaft l4 and its casing 13 are pivoted at 20 for swinging movement toward and away from the upper shaft [2. Such movement of the lower shaft is efiected by means of a lever 22 pivoted at 24 in a hanger 26 attached to the casing H which, in turn, is secured to the frame In by screws 30. One end of the lever 22 bears against the head of a screw 32 threaded into the casing l3 enclosing the lower shaft l4, and the other end of the lever is connected at 36 to a rod 38 on which is carried a spring 40. An arm 42, the end of which is bored to fit over the rod 38, bears against a washer 44 resting on the spring, this arm being integral with a rock shaft 46 connected to a treadle rod (not shown). The spring 40 surrounding the rod 38 is secured thereon by a, washer 48 and a wing nut 50, this latter member also providing means for adjusting the tension to be exerted through the spring. By this means depression of the treadle compresses the spring 40 and through the lever 22 yieldably urges the lower shaft I4 upwardly.

Mounted upon the outer end of the shaft I4 is a lower feed roll 52 which at its outer end is substantially cylindrical. The inner end of this roll, however, is flared as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 so that, when a sole is pressed against it, the roll will mold the margin of the sole and, hence, impart a transverse curvature thereto. Secured to the upper shaft I2 is an upper feed wheel 54 provided with teeth 56 spaced about its periphery with lands 58 therebetween, each tooth being tapered radially to a knife edge extending crosswise of the wheel. The radial height of each tooth is reduced toward the inner face of the wheel. It is to be noted that when the two feed members are brought together by depression of the treadle, the upper feed wheel 54 is above that point on the lower roll where the flaring begins. By such an arrangement the sole is forced tightly into the concavity of the lower roll to insure that the full benefit of the molding action of the two rolls will be realized. The curvatur imparted to the workwill, however, be confined to the margin of the sole, the cylindrical part of the roll serving simply 'as a support for the sole at points inwardly of its margin.

To guide the sole as it is fed through the machine by the wheel 54 and the roll 52, there is provided a pair of edge gages 50 and 62 (Fig. 3), the forward edge gage 60 (i. e., forward with respect to the direction of movement of the work) being secured by a screw 64 to a bracket 66 adjustably connected by a screw-and-slot arrangement 68 (Figfl) to the casing ll of the upper shaft I2. This gage serves also as an abutment against which the edge of the sole is forced to impart an additional curvature thereto in a manner hereinafter to be described. The rear edg gage 62, which is also adjustably fastened by a screw-and-slot connection to the casing H, is provided with a vertical surface 12, which serves as a sole engaging and guiding face, and a substantially horizontal overhanging flange 14 which assists the operator in guiding the sole as he is inserting it into the machine between the two feeding members.

It is to be noted that the edge gages 60 and 62 are in such relation with the end face of the upper feed roll and with the axis thereof that there is a strong cross feeding, that is, the force applied by the upper feed wheel is in a direction which is at a substantial angle to the line of feed of the sole, i. e., the line connecting the workengaging faces of the edge gages. Thus, regardless of how sharp the curvature of the edge of the sole may be, the cross feed insures that the edge of the sole will at all times be held tightly in engagement with the edgegages 6n and 62.

The sole may thus be fed automatically through the machine and will need no attention from the operator other than inserting and removing the work pieces.

As has been pointed out, the cooperating upper feed wheel 54 and lower feed roll 52 serve to roll the edge of the sole upwardly to form a concave margin on the edge of the sole. Further to roll the edge of the sole there are provided two plows 15 and 18 (Figs. 1 and 3) which are screwed to the casing [3 of the lower shaft l4 by screws and 82 respectively. The plow 16, which first engages the sole before it passes between the feed members, imparts a preliminary curvature to the sole, and the second plow 18, positioned in the path of the sole dge between the feed members and the edge gage or abutment 60, serves to maintain the curvature imparted to the sole by the feed rolls and to bend the sole upward slightly further.

In addition to its function of feeding the sole through the machine without assistance from the operator, the cross feed may be employed to complete the edge rolling operation begun by the feed members and the plows l6 and 18. It will be noted that, as shown best in Fig. 4, the force applied by the feed members in feeding the sole is directed toward the abutment provided by the gage 60. By this means the edge of the sole is crowded with considerable force against this abutment. Having been already curved upwardly by the feed members and the plows, this crowding causes the sole edge to be rolled upwardly to whatever extent the operator desires. The extent of the rolling may, of course, be varied considerably by adjustment of the gage to vary the amount of cross feed.

' It will usually be found desirable to overmold the sole edge slightly to compensate for the tendency of the leather of the sole to return to its original flat condition. This tendency is considerably reduced, however, by the fact that the rolling operation is divided as described above into four stages so that the sole edge is held in curved position for a substantial period, and the fibers are stretched several times instead of once. In addition, the four-stage molding, by being made a part of the feeding operation, does not interfere with the automatic handling of the sole by th machine.

In order that forcing the edge of the sole against the gage 60 may accomplish any substantial amount of edge roll, the edge gages and the upper feed wheel must be so positioned relative to one another that there is a very strong cross feed. To prevent the sole from stalling because of the drag on the sole occasioned thereby, the teeth 55 of the upper feed wheel are, as has been pointed out, spaced apart a slight distance about th periphery of the upper feed wheel, and between the spaced teeth there are provided lands 58. In this manner, as the flat leading edge 84 of each tooth presses against the material of the sole to move the latter forward, that portion of the material which it engages is compressed by the adjacent land so that it cannot be torn out by the tooth of the wheel. By this means, any danger that the feed wheel will simply gouge its way through the sole and will not feed it is eliminated. Further to reduce the possibility that the teeth of the upper feed wheel may tear the sole, the teeth are tapered to a knife edge crosswise of the wheel and toward its inner face; thus, as the sole-is forced crosswise of the wheel by the edge gages, the teeth tend to cut their way out of the sole without tearing it. This cutting action, of course, roughens the sole to a certain extent so that when the cement is applied it will. penetrate the sole more deeply and increase the strength of the bond between the sole and the shoe.

As the sole passes from between the lower feed roll 52 and the upper feed wheel 54 and while the sole edge is being further rolled up by the gage 60, a coating'of cement or of activating fluid is applied to the concavely curved margin of the sole. To this end, a bracket 86 is pivotally secured by screws 88 to the casing II of the upper shaft I2. A nozzle carrier 90 is secured to the bracket 86 by a screw 92, the nozzle carrier and bracket being urged downwardly 'by a spring 94, the ends of which are connected to the casing II and the nozzle carrier 90 respectively. Downward movement of the nozzle carrier is limited by an adjustable screw 96 threaded in the nozzle carrier 90, and locked in adjusted position by a nut 91. The nozzle proper comprises a block 98 (Fig. 5) provided with a tongue I (Fig. 7) fitting into a groove I02 (Fig. 1) in the nozzle carrier, the nozzle being secured to the nozzle carrier by a bolt I04 passing through a slot I06 (Fig. 5) in the block 98 and threaded into the nozzle carrier.

The construction of the nozzle per se is not claimed herein since it forms the subject-matter of a divisional application Serial No. 360,633, filed October 10, 1940. g

The extruding members comprise a series of fingers I08, each of which is bored to provide a passageway IIO (Fig. 6) for the coating material. The inner end of each finger is rounded into a ball I I2 which is substantially spherical in shape and rests in one of a series of cylindrical recesses H4 in an offset portion II6 of the block 98. It is to be noted that, inasmuch as the recesses II4 intersect the flat surface of the 'ofiset portion H6 at right angles, the openings formed by the cylindrical recesses II4 are circular, and thus the balls form substantially line contacts with the block, regardless of the position of the fingers. It has been found that, with such an arrangement, the tendency of the balls to seat themselves in the recesses firmly seals the joint against leakage while permitting the fingers to be moved freely in any direction as they encounter irregularities in the work passing beneath them.

Each finger is also provided with a pin I I8 over which is hooked one end of a springl20, the other end of the spring being secured to a pin I22 affixed to the offset portion H6 of the block. These springs serve the dual purpose of permitting the fingers I08 to conform to the curvature of the work and also of holding the balls II2 tightly in the recesses II4. Downward movement of the fingers is limited by a U- shaped stirrup-like hanger I24 secured to the block by screws I 26, each of the fingers being provided with a lug I28 which normally rests upon the crossbar I30 of the hanger. A wedge I32 may be also secured to the inner side of the crossbar in order to secure the desired horizontal relation of inner finger I34 and outer finger 136 to one another.

It is to be noted that the fingers are substantially parallel to one another and are of varying lengths, the inner finger I34, that is, the finger adjacent the feed wheel, being the longest and ends I38 (Fig. 4) of the fingers are bent at a slight angle to the main portion of the fingers and are substantially parallel to one another so that as the cement is'carried away from the ends of the fingers by the sole passing beneath them it will be dragged in a direction approximately parallel with the end portions I38 of the fingers actually "engaging the work. The relation of the ends of the fingers to the gages is such that a band of cement of substantially uniform width will be applied to the sole.

In order to supply cement to the fingers, the block 98 is recessed to provide a supply passageway I40 connected to the cylindrical recesses I I4. A clean-out plate I42 makes this passageway accessible for removing accumulations of hardened cement. Coating material is supplied to the passageway I40 by means of a pipe I44 and a hose I46 connected to'a pump and reservoir 'such as that illustrated in Patent No. 2,042,479 to Newhall above referred to. A valve I48, preferably opened and closed by operation of the treadle which raises and lowers the lower feed roll 52 and the shaft I4, shuts off the supply of cement when the machine isnot in operation.

A pot I50 filled with solvent and mounted on a swinging arm I52 provides a convenient place for storing the nozzle when not in use. This pot comprises a hollow cylindrical container in which a solvent for the coating material being employed is held. At its upper edge I54 the wall of the pot is flared out and machined to provide a fiat surface upon which a cover I56 may rest. This cover is divided into two sections, one section I58 of which is secured to the flared edge I54 of the pot by screws I60. A shoulder I62 on the under side of the cover and abutting the edge of the pot assists in sealing the pot tightly against evaporation of the solvent. The other section I64 of the cover is provided with a similar shoulder I62 on its under side and is readily removed by lifting it from the pot. A lug I66 is secured to this section I64 of the cover, and attached to the lug is a chain I68 having its other end attached to any convenient portion of the machine to prevent this removable section of the cover from' being lost or dropped.

Located in the center of the cover is an area I10 of substantially greater thickness than the rest of the cover and in the center of this area an aperture or bore I'I2 is formed. This aperture is the same size as the pipe I44 connecting the nozzle to a source of 'supplyso that when the nozzle is inserted in the pot the pot will be sealed against evaporation of the solvent. By this arrangement, the section I64 of the cover may be removed and the pot with the valve I48 resting upon the collar formed by the thickened area I10 about the aperture H2. When the nozzle has been set in position, the cover section I64 may be replaced, the thickened area I'I0 being beveled at I74 for ease in replacing the cover. It is to be noted that the split in the cover divides the aperture I72 substantially in half so that the the outer finger I36 being the shortest. The 75 two sections of the cover may readily be fitted about the pipe I44. Obviously, the exact arrangement of the cover may be altered as, for example, by making it in three wedge-shaped sections.

The operation of the machine having been described in detail in connection with the description of the various parts, nothing further nozzle inserted in the than a brief summary of its operation is believed necessary. The operator places a sole between the upper and lower feed members, preferably starting at one side of the heel end of the sole. He then depresses the treadle, moving the lower feed roll upwardly, and causing the sole to be gripped between the rotating upper and lower feed members. The strong cross feed effected by the feed wheel and the edge gages forces the sole against these latter members so that the sole is automatically fed through the machine. As each portion of the sole approaches the operating point, it is first engaged by the plow 16 which imparts a slight curvature to the margin of the sole. As the portion of the sole passes between the feed members, an additional IOlling is effected. This rolling is further increased by the second plow TB and is finally completed by the forcing or crowding of the sole edge against the abutment provided by the forward edge gage 60. As this final step in the edge rolling is being completed, the margin of the sole passes beneath the ends of the fingers I08 of the nozzle. These fingers, which readily yield upwardly to conform themselves to the concave surface of the margin of the flesh side of the sole, apply an even band of coating material to the margin of the sole so that the sole is then ready to be attached to the shoe in the usual manner.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a, machine for operating on soles, an upper feed wheel, a cylindrical lower feed roll having a flared inner end cooperating with said upper feed wheel to form a transversely curved margin upon the sole, and an abutment so positioned in the path of the sole that the edge of the sole is forced against it by the feed wheel, thereby to impart an additional transverse curvature to the margin of the sole.

2. In a machine for operating on soles, a cylindrical lower feed roll having a flared inner end, an upper feed wheel engaging a sole at a point spaced inwardly of the edge thereof and constructed and arranged to press said sole against the lower feed roll and impart a transverse curvature to the edge of the sole, and edge gages positioned at an angle to the axis of the feed wheel such that the cross feed of the feed wheel forces the sole against one of the edge gages and produces additional curvature in the sole margin.

3. In a machine for operating on soles, a rotatable sole supporting roll, the face of which is concave in the direction of the axis of the roll, a driven feed wheel arranged to engage and press the margin of a sole into contact with the concave face of the supporting roll with sufficient force to curve said margin transversely, and an edge gage positioned at such a point in the path of the edge of the sole after the sole has left the feed wheel that the pressure of the sole against the gage will produce additional curvature in the sole margin adjacent to its outer edge.

4. In a machine for operating on soles, an upper feed wheel, a, cylindrical lower feed roll having a flared inner end cooperating with said upper feed wheel to impart a transverse curvature to the margin of the sole; an abutment so positioned in the path of the sole that the edge of the sole is forced against it by said feed wheel and roll to impart an additional transverse ourvature, and a molding plow positioned between said lower feed roll and said abutment and arranged to impart additional curvature to said sole after it leaves said feed roll.

5. In a machine for operating on soles, an upper feed wheel, a cylindrical lower feed roll having a flared inner end and constructed and arranged to cooperate with said upper feed wheel to impart a transverse curvature to the margin of the sole, an abutment so positioned in the path of the sole that the edge of the sole is forced against it by said feed members to impart an additional transverse curvature, a plow positioned between said lower feed roll and said abutment, and a second plow arranged to en-.' gage the work before it passes between the feed members.

6. In a machine for operating on soles, an upper feed wheel having a plurality of teeth spaced about its periphery and having lands between said teeth, a lower feed roll having a flared inner end to impart a, preliminary roll to the edge of a sole, and an abutment so positioned in the path of the sole that the edge of said sole is forced against it by said feed members to impart a final roll to the edge of the sole.

7. In a machine for operating on soles, a cylindrical lower feed roll, an upper feed wheel having a plurality of teeth spaced about its periphery and having lands between said teeth, and edge gages positioned in a line forming an acute angle with the axis of the feed wheel. thereby producing a cross feed component force which presses the sole against one of the edge gages with suificient force to produce a curvature in the sole margin.

8. In a machine for operating on soles, means for imparting a transverse curvature to the periphery of a sole. and a nozzle having a plurality of articulated fingers for applying a band of coating material to said transversely curved periphery.

9. In a machine for operating on soles, an upper feed wheel, a cylindrical lower feed roll having a flared inner end cooperating with said upper feed wheel to form a transversely curved margin upon the sole, and an abutment so positioned in the path of the sole that the edge of the sole is forced against it by the feed wheel, thereby to impart an additional transverse curvature to the margin of the sole, and a nozzle having a plurality of articulated fingers for applying a band of coating material to'the transversely curved margin of the sole.

10. In a machine for operating on soles, a cylindrical lower feed roll having a flared inner end, an upper feed wheel engaging a sole at a point spaced inwardly of the edge thereof and constructed and arranged to press said sole against the lower feed roll and impart a transverse curvature to the edge of the sole, edge gages positioned at an angle to the axis of the feed wheel such that the cross feed of the feed wheel forces the sole against one of the edge gages and produces additional curvature in thesole margin, and a nozzle having a plurality of articulated fingers for applying a band of coating material to the transversely curved margin of the sole.

11. In a coating apparatus, a feed wheel, a nozzle comprising a supporting block, a plurality of fingers provided with passageways, said fingers being of graduated lengths with the longest finger adjacent said feed wheel, a ball at theend of each of said fingers, and a cylindrical recess in said block for each of said balls, said recess having a diameter slightly smaller than the diameter of said balls.

12. In a coating apparatus, a feed wheel, and a nozzle comprising a supporting block and a plurality of substantially parallel fingers provided with passageways, said fingers being of cover, said cover being thicker adjacent the 20 aperture than at other areas and said aperture being divided by the split in the cover whereby upon removal of one section of the cover the nozzle may be inserted in the pot and the cover replaced without disconnecting the nozzle from the source of supply.

14. In a coating apparatus, a frame, an articulated nozzle demountably carried on said frame, means connecting said nozzle to a source of supply of coating material, a storage pot containing a solvent for the coating material and mounted for swinging movement on said frame, and a cover for said pot comprising a cover section secured to the pot and a removable cover section,

said cover sections having complementary apertures therein whereby a nozzle may be inserted in the pot and the pot covered without disconnecting said nozzle from the connecting means.

WALTER W. PRUE. 

